China, Russia Eye Enhanced Antimissile Collaboration

The United States’ enhanced missile defense efforts are leading China and Russia to step up joint work on their own antimissile efforts, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

“We are concerned about U.S. plans to build a global missile defense system, including in the Asia-Pacific region,” Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said while in Beijing for strategic talks with Chinese officials.

“Our Chinese partners share our concerns and we have agreed to coordinate our actions in that respect,” he added.

Moscow has long expressed concern that U.S. missile defense deployments in Europe might undermine Russia’s strategic security. The Obama administration has also sought to increase missile defense cooperation with Asian allies, including fielding a second X-band radar in Japan.

There are indications that a another X-band system could be deployed in the Philippines or a nearby state, and the United States is moving to increase the number of ships with Aegis antimissile technology deployed in the sector, according to the report.